Skating Coaches Blog

Maybe the coach growth is a blessing: the Olympics are coming up next year and the skating population could explode, as happened after the last Winter Olympics. At least you'll have PSA members to rely on.

It's interesting that you looked at the PSA directory. Some of the PSA registration growth is probably tied to the new competition requirements of US Skating. It could also be coaches are moving into the area because it's so beautiful and people perceive it as a skating center for the US. (I loved Colorado when I was there on business a few years ago.)

Oddly enough, there are a lot of coaches joining the PSA in the beginning of their careers, too. They're looking for a professional association that can provide contacts, education, and certification at that level. I hope they find it, though: at the last PSA Workshop I went to, all of the on-ice was focused on Juvenile or higher test levels. The majority of the coaches had students at lower levels. Yet, the PSA endeavours to provide education for all coaches. A friend who went to the National Conference last year said it was great and she learned a lot. Maybe the next round of locally-held workshops will provide a broader range of coaching techniques, etc.
 

I don't agree that all the new people entering the ranks of coaching skating are a blessing. There are just not enough skaters for all the people coaching and the upcoming Olympics will not bring us into "the land of plenty."

In the past, a lot of new little skaters filled ice rinks after the Olympics and all the TV coverage, but that did not seem to be the case after 2002. Could it be the negative publicity regarding the judging of the Pairs competition was to blame?
 

Is US Figure Skating requiring PSA membership?

This is in response to your statement below:

"Some of the PSA registration growth is probably tied to the new competition requirements of US Figure Skating."
 

There are now 5500 coaches registered with PSA
 

PSA Membership required by USFS

This is from the USFS News Site and yes, it was ratified. At a workshop I attended this summer, many of the new PSA members stated that they joined because of this rule.

Important InformationPSA Membership Now Required
At the U.S. Figure Skating Board of Directors meeting on Nov. 1, the board approved rule CR 8.71, which requires any coach being credentialed for a U.S. Figure Skating qualifying competition to be a member of both U.S. Figure Skating and the Professional Skaters Association. If this rule is ratified by the Governing Council in May 2004, it will go into effect on Sept. 1, 2004.